Within the compound, masses of debris are strewn about the plant as a result of explosions, and this is making it very difficult for plant workers to bring the crisis under control. While frantic efforts are under way to cool reactors and remove water contaminated with high levels of radiation from facilities in the plant, the government hopes to facilitate the task by making it safe for workers to perform. The resin is designed to prevent dirt containing radioactive substances being scattered in the wind, the officials said.

In short, this is a short-term measure to help the workers do their jobs in (relative) safety.

Tokyo Electric Power warned on Wednesday that a $24-billion bank loan was not enough to keep it afloat and pay for Japan's worst nuclear disaster, adding to expectations the government will step in to bail out the stricken company. [The company's] share price has crashed nearly 80 per cent since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that sparked the crisis.

[Masataka] Shimizu, 66, has not been seen in public since a 13 March news conference in Tokyo, raising speculation that he had suffered a breakdown. For days, officials deflected questions about Shimizu's whereabouts, saying he was "resting" at company headquarters. Spokesman Naoki Tsunoda said Wednesday that Shimizu had been admitted to a Tokyo hospital after suffering dizziness and high blood pressure. The leadership vacuum at TEPCO... comes amid growing criticism over its failure to halt the radiation leaks. Bowing deeply, arms at his side, chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata announced at a news conference that he would step in and apologized for the delay.

And in an unsurprising development given the amount of seawater that has been pumped into them, the company has announced that the four reactors at the centre of the crisis will be permanently scrapped. The BBC reports:

[TEPCO] made the announcement three weeks after failing to bring reactors 1-4 under control. Locals would be consulted on reactors 5 and 6, which were shut down safely.

Radiation levels in the sea near the stricken Fukushima plant have risen to their highest yet, more than 3000 times above the legal limit. It is the strongest sign yet that highly radioactive water from the plant is leaking into the Pacific Ocean. The continuing radiation leaks are dismal news for people up and down the east coast of Japan who depend on the sea for their livelihoods.

So it should come as no surprise that Japan has ordered a review of safety procedures at its nuclear reactors. Reuters reports:

[Japan's trade ministry] said on Wednesday that nuclear plants would be required by mid-April to deploy back-up mobile power generators and fire trucks able to pump water, while beefing up training programs and manuals, aiming to avoid a repeat of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant. It will also look at longer-term solutions such as requiring higher sea walls at nuclear stations and will review its energy policy to encourage renewables, although it reiterated that nuclear power was expected to retain an important role.